Minus 13
by Bouncykins
Summary: AU. Axel/Roxas. Minus 13, an internet forum, and Roxas has been accepted to become part of the Organization, the forums moderators and creators, as a new moderator. Is Roxas prepared for this responsibility? That, however, is only half of this story…
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I do not own any of these characters.

**Summary:** AU. Axel/Roxas. Minus 13, an internet forum, and Roxas has been accepted to become part of The Organization, the forums moderators and creators, as a new moderator. Is Roxas prepared for this responsibility? That, however, is only half of this story…

**Beta:** impish-nymph. Who is absolutely _amazing_ and a great, great, great help. Oh and encourages me far, far too much. :D I cannot thank her enough.

**Notes:** OKAY. This is a great time to post this, since I beat Kingdom Hearts II today. (Go me!) Anyway. This fic can be blamed on a guy named Teddykins. So if you think it sucks or I'm on crack, go throw stones at him. :P I wanted to write my very own Axel/Roxas fic but I had no plot ideas. So, I asked Teddykins for a prompt. Well, his prompt kinda went slightly out of control and before I knew it, I had an Epic Fic Idea. It was almost distressing but it had to be written. :3 Be gentle…

Also, some of this story had to be edited so it could be posted on this site. Mainly links and email addresses. If you would prefer to read the unaltered version, you can find it posted at fullrefund on LiveJournal.

**Minus 13**

---

"Do you like it, Roxas?"

Roxas stares blankly at the box in front of him for a long moment, not certain if he is seeing what he hopes he is but he hopes anyway, just in case. With a brief glance at his mother, he reaches out, hand hovering over it for a second before lowering on top of it. He runs his fingers over the package, searching it idly before working his fingers into the grooves and opening it carefully. Inside is a sleek, black laptop. Exactly what he wanted and had been hoping for. Roxas exhales with a grin, removing the laptop from the packaging and pushing the box aside. It is not too heavy, light enough that he can take it around without developing any unwanted aches in his shoulder.

"Yes," Roxas murmurs, stroking the cool surface of the laptop, fingers pausing on the button that releases the lid to open it. "Thank you."

His mother pats his head, ruffling his hair as she stands and chuckles lightly when he attempts to duck away from the gesture. "Don't make me regret buying that and setting up an Internet service. Be sensible."

Roxas nods. "I know." He looks up at his mom with smile but says seriously, "I won't go into any dodgy chat rooms where the pedophiles are lurking."

"Keep it that way, Roxas."

She smiles once more, picking up the discarded packaging that was pushed aside and leaves the room, closing the door with a soft click behind her. Roxas waits a moment, listening as her footsteps gradually become harder to hear, muffled by the carpet lining the floor.

When he's certain she will not be back, he rushes pushes the release button and lifts the lid, quickly scanning the keyboard for the ON switch. His fingers move to grab the supplied cords as the lights turn on, quickly untangling and plugging them in before the low battery life runs out. He listens to the soft hum of the laptop booting up, the subtle noises it produces as the screen flashes and flickers. Numbers scatter over the screen, disappearing too fast for him to read and then, finally, the welcome screen appears and a familiar tune fills the room.

_Please pick a name for your computer. (__i.e__ kitchen computer)_: Twilight

Twilight. The name of his new town and new life. Roxas taps his fingers restlessly on the keyboard, gnawing on his bottom lip as he waits for the laptop to finish loading so he can complete the set up and access the Internet.

It's been almost a month since he last had any Internet access. The town has no public Internet ports or WiFi - nothing. Not even the library has public Internet access - just some crap Intranet that only accesses the town's private server and is useless for what Roxas wants. Not to mention it's only available to businesses and he shouldn't even be touching the special Intranet.

Roxas frowns at the laptop, patience beginning the wear thin – why do new computers always take so long? He almost groans when a pop up says he needs to reboot the computer before he will be able to use the Internet. Breathing through his clenched teeth, he complies and waits a significantly shorter amount of time for the welcome page to appear again. It is much faster from there and he promptly opens a browser window, entering the URL to check his email so he can find out how overwhelmingly full his inbox will be.

_324 Unread Emails.__ 65 spam emails._

Roxas groans softly as his eyes flick over the names but there is also a rush, an excitement and he feels connected again, finally. It makes him feel giddy and he quickly deletes all the spam mail, not even glancing at the subjects - he knows they will all be about penises and growth and female ejaculation. Nothing interesting. (Roxas actually opened one when he was using a library computer and was horrified by the rapid influx of images that assaulted his eyes and desktop screen. He was saved from the sight of a female writhing with a banana by the computer screen flickering and then going black and silent. After being banned from the library for two weeks and having to pay for the virus removal, he stopped opening spam mail.)

An email catches his eye and he freezes, mouth going dry and his palms begin to sweat. He hits at the touchpad and gets frustrated when the mouse flicks out of sight. He slides his finger over the touchpad in hope that he'll find the cursor on the screen again. Stupid touchpad. The sensitivity needs to be adjusted.

Finally, after what seems like minutes, he spots the flicker of the arrow and quickly zooms it across the screen to select the email he had been eyeing. It opens and he sighs in relief, before tensing again as he scans the words that show up.

-

From: Organization. Organization(at)minus13(dot)com

To: SeaSalt. Trinketkeyblades(at)gmail(dot)com

Subject: Re: Moderator Application.

Thank you for taking the time to fill out our moderator application. We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted. Please send a confirmation email as soon as possible and we will send you the necessary information that you will require.

Regards,

TheBrainGame.

Organization.

-

A wide grin slowly spreads over his face and he throws himself back on his bed. The laptop almost topples to the floor but Roxas reacts, scrambling back upright and grabs it. Shaking his head, feeling somewhat foolish, he slides it away from the edge of his bed, out of harms way.

Lying back down, he stares blankly at his ceiling - he was accepted. Roxas opens and closes his mouth, his hand coming up to cover his eyes as he lets the realization settle in and he tries to handle the shock.

On a whim he had filled out the moderator form but he hadn't expected or anticipated that he would be considered – let alone accepted for the position. Minus 13 was his most frequented forum and the Organization were known for their seclusion, their elitism. They had not accepted a new moderator for almost two years and then suddenly one day when Roxas had logged on there was an announcement as a sticky post on the general board. There had been a recent upsurge of problems but as a watcher who tended to ignore the trouble, he thought the Organization would handle it but apparently they needed assistance and were willing to stoop low enough to offer a position to a mere watcher. Interested and figuring he was online enough, he decided to give it a shot since there was no harm in trying and he could only be rejected, nothing personal about it.

The Internet was and still is his not so secret love, something he became obsessed with when his parents were constantly arguing and he needed something to take his mind off them bickering over useless furniture and dusky old trinket keyblades that nobody cared about. There was always net access somewhere, at school, at the library, at the shopping center, at the post office - everywhere that wasn't at home and he could just lose himself in the cyber world. It was perfectly fine and he kept his sanity. He wouldn't become one of those adults who end up spending hundreds of dollars getting therapy for negative emotional instability because of a messy divorce he was forced to witness as an innocent teenager.

Then his mother informed him they were moving to another country, from Toronto to some nobody place in America, as far away from his father as she could take him and they would start over. Roxas could only blink and nod, wondering if they had a decent Internet connection there.

Applying for a moderator position was just something he did a few days before his mother packed them up and they left, before he even knew that the situation with his parents were so extreme and the only resolution that could be found was divorce. He had actually forgotten all about it but here it was – he was going to be a part of Minus 13's Organization. One of the people the watchers look up to for support, to secretly loath and sometimes send hate filled private messages to before mysteriously disappearing from the site. Or more likely were just being banned.

Roxas grins and promptly sits back up, yanking the laptop towards him and types out a quick reply.

-

From: SeaSalt. Trinketkeyblades(at)gmail(dot)com

To: Organization. Organization(at)minus13(dot)com

Subject: Re: Moderator Application.

TheBrainGame,

Sorry about the delay in reply. Real life got busy all of a sudden and I had no Internet access. I'm still interested in being a moderator. I hope that in my delay the position hasn't been filled already.

SeaSalt.

-

He scans the reply, chewing at his lip again – should the email be longer? Be more polite? Should he be more formal and less relaxed in his wording? Roxas frowns and shakes his head, clicking on send before he changes his mind. The Organization are real people and they run the forum for their own enjoyment, they don't get paid and he won't be getting paid either. There should be no issue with him being relaxed and not uptight.

Closing his inbox, leaving the other 323 emails to pursue later, he opens up Minus 13's web page and blinks at the screen when it loads. The page is a bit more sluggish than he is accustomed to and takes far longer for the images and posts to load. It's either the internet speed in this area, which he could tell just from checking his email, is a lot slower than what he was used to, or the forum has more traffic and the site is suffering under the pressure.

Roxas clicks through a few posts when it finally accessible, skimming over new threads that sound interesting and looking for anything important or any familiar names. He sighs. There is a lot and it will take him hours to catch up on everything. Plus his private messages were showing that he has quite a few unread ones and they would need to be taken care of as well. Never again will he allow himself to go so long without being able to get online. The resulting slog of emails and messages and posts are overwhelming and he hasn't even started yet.

"Roxas?"

"Come in," he calls, closing the lid of the laptop with a sigh. He can't resist leveling a muted glower at his mother when she enter his room with a too bright smile and a plate of some type of snack. Probably those blueberry muffins that she loves but he thinks are gross.

"I know you are busy but I thought you could do with a snack. You've been sitting in front of that thing for hours already," she says kindly, placing the plate next to him on the bed.

Roxas blinks, scratching his head as he glances at his watch – she's right. He has been sitting there for at least three hours. He stretches. Rolling his neck side to side, Roxas shuffles to the edge of the bed and gives his mom a one arm hug.

"Thanks," Roxas mutters. "I didn't even notice the time – did I miss dinner?" He frowns as he sits back, nudging at the plate away with his knee and hopes his mother doesn't notice.

"Mhm but there are leftovers. I wanted to just let you catch up. Since you had been mostly patient with the move," she teases. Her cheeks suddenly begin to tint red and she laughs awkwardly, her hand coming up to rest at the base of her throat. "I'll leave you to it then. Try not to stay up too late though, okay? You do have school in the morning and I'm not letting this-" she gestures at the laptop with her other hand, "-interfere with your education. It has been disrupted enough already."

Roxas nods. "Okay, I won't. And mom?"

She pauses at the door, her hand resting on the handle as she looks back at him. "Yes?"

"Don't worry about all this – the move. It's fine. And thank you, you know, for the laptop and understanding." He grins almost sheepishly, looking away from her face as it softens and relaxes.

"Good night, Roxas."

"Night mom."

He watches as the door closes behind her for the second time that day and he sighs, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palms. There are times when his mother really worries him but she does seem happier here, even if he sometimes catches her staring into space and trailing off into a world all of her own.

The plate sits innocently next to him and he wrinkles his nose as he leans forward to poke at the muffins, grimacing as his finger dips into one of the berries – should it actually be that soft and squishy? Probably not. It doesn't matter and he picks the plate up, wiping his finger on the surface before opening his bedroom window carefully. He whistles as he drops the muffins to the ground. The dog will get a late snack. It wasn't the first it had been lucky enough to receive. Those muffins just keep coming and by the looks of it would continue to so.

Once the window is closed again, he changes into his pajamas, deciding he'd rather have a shower in the morning and just get back to feeding his deprived internet addiction. It is going to take time and effort to return to feeling like he has everything under control, that he isn't missing anything or owing any emails or replies. The sooner he starts, the quicker he'll be caught up and won't feel the compulsive urge to hijack the any computers or service lines that he really shouldn't.

It had actually been close, the hijacking, but he had come to his senses before he could actually set those idle thoughts into active motions. The things you would do for an addiction. Roxas snorts as he reopens his email, at least he isn't at the stage where he's online for twenty three hours of each day – that's bordering on obsessive and pathetic.

It started as a place to escape from his home but now it is deeply ingrained into him, he has friends, acquaintances, contacts, journals and he isn't in the position just to back off and cut it out of his life. Sure, he vanished for almost a month but that wasn't his doing and that was easily explained but he can't just leave completely.

He preferred to spend his time talking to people online rather than the ones he saw every day at school. Not that he is ever going to see his old friends again and the new ones he had made were okay but that is hardly the point. It is just difficult to talk to them easily, for the conversation to flow naturally and there were always awkward pauses on his part, never knowing what to say or if what he did say was okay. Perhaps he could convince them to use a journaling site and they could talk. Roxas rolls his eyes at the thought. That guy Hayner wasn't the type to sit at a desk and spend his time typing away when he could be outdoors and practice his fighting. Maybe Pence, though. He isn't so sure about Olette. Best not to think about that, he decides.

_324 Unread Emails.__ 0 spam emails._

Roxas blinks rapidly, staring blankly at his screen and shakes his head in disbelief. Then he laughs. Really, with twelve members, it shouldn't be such a surprise that there is a reply already. No doubt they all have access to the site's email.

-

From: Organization. Organization(at)minus13(dot)com

To: SeaSalt. Trinketkeyblades(at)gmail(dot)com

Subject: Re: Moderator Application.

Yo, SeaSalt.

Where you been? Never mind that. About time you checked in. I had to convince some of the others that you were still good for the job – putting myself out on the line for ya. You can thank me another time.

I've added an attachment to this email. Read it and memorize it, got it? The site will accept you the next time you log in. Don't mess us over or we'll send a virus your way. Trust me; we got a few things up our data sleeves and you don't want that.

Your Savior,

HipsDontLie.

Organization.

-

Roxas gapes at the email, rereading it a few times before scowling and angrily hitting the touchpad, opening a reply email. HipsDontLie. Why _HipsDontLie_? It could have been any one of the twelve members, but HipsDontLie is the one to reply to him.

Roxas doesn't know how he even made it into the Organization; he is openly rude to new forum members, the ones who don't know that HipsDontLie is like that with all members, and he's previously been some kind of troublemaker on a now closed down forum. At least the other members try to hide their snide and condescending remarks between polite words. It's only after you've been on the site for long enough that you begin to recognize the traits the moderators use to mock and laugh at members. HipsDontLie, and one or two others, just never bother to hide it.

Roxas hesitates, wondering if he really wants to be a part of that, be considered truly one of them. The words he had prepared to use in reply to HipsDontLie die before his fingers even touch the keys and he closes the browser completely. It is best to just finish it all in the morning, when he has time to think it over properly. Yes, he wants to join. Yes, he wants to have more power and more control but he doesn't want to become one of those people who look down on the rest.

Grumbling, he shuts down the laptop and places it on his desk, cursing when he almost trips over a cord and pulls the laptop onto the floor.

"Stupid cords," he mutters as he switches off the light and climbs into bed, briefly arguing with the sheets and yanking them into submission around his shoulders. He thinks about the email before he eventually drifts off to sleep.

---

Everything is done in rush when he suddenly jerks awake, having gone to bed without setting his alarm. Roxas scrambles around his room, stubbing his toes on the corner of his desk, and swears loudly. He tries to pacify his mother when she lectures him from the kitchen as he stumbles down stairs, bleary eyed and cursing under his breath. He apologizes, promising it won't happen again.

There is no time for breakfast, no time for that shower he had wanted to take and certainly no time to check his email again. Calling a quick farewell, he runs out the front door and down the street, hoping that his bus will still be there waiting for him but he is barely two minutes late for it. If he looks hard enough, he thinks he can see it turning the corner at the end of the street, vanishing from sight only a few seconds later.

In a fit of annoyance and immaturity, he throws his bag onto the ground and kicks it, hard. It just so happens to hit the tires of a passing bike, sending the bike and the rider flying into the curb in front of him. Roxas stares in shock, his mind completely and utterly void of rational thoughts. He simply gapes at the mess of limbs jerking about and a bike wheel spinning crazily, wobbling as if it was on the verge of falling off. His school bag is wrapped around the body's legs, somehow locking a leg with the bike pedal and no matter how much the person kicks his foot it remains lodged.

"Yo, would you help a guy out?" calls the person.

"…Er."

Stumbling forward, Roxas falls to his knees, avoiding looking directly at the person and just focuses on trying to remove his bag strap from the person – the guy's – leg. Somehow it had become wedged and tangled when the bike slid along the ground. He grunts, yanking at it roughly and he receives a sharp and very unexpected smack to the side of his head for his effort.

"My leg is attached to that, you know."

Roxas scowls, ready to snap back but he makes the mistake of looking at the guy and is faced with a grinning tattooed weirdo.

"…Uh. Just shut up a bit. The strap comes off, I think." He finally mumbles, tearing his gaze away. He fumbles for the clasp and releases the strap as well as the guy's leg. "Sorry about that."

"It happens all the time, kid. Honest. Bags come flying at me so often that I'm used to it." The guy grins even wider as he removes his helmet and runs his fingers through his hair. "Although, that's really just my mom. She likes to throw me out every so often. Mother-son bonding and all that. I'm Axel; try not to forget, yeah? You owe me a meal or something."

All Roxas can do is stare up at the guy and not think. Thinking means effort, and effort means trying to understand everything this stranger was saying. The stranger who only moments before had been knocked over by Roxas's flying bag. Practically his entire life story and –

"—I owe you a meal? Hey, forget that. Look, I'm sorry, okay?" he grumbles, crossing his arms and glaring up at the red head. "But I can't go wasting my money feeding you. Can't you just accept my apology and we can forget this ever happened?"

Axel lifts his arm up, finger pointing to the side of his head and he makes a humming noise, as if he is in a deep train of thought. Roxas fidgets, glances at his watch and suppresses a groan. He is very late and there is no way he will get to school before his first class starts. It is just too far.

"Nah, sorry kid but an apology is no good." Axel moves over to his bike, nudging the wheel with his shoe and Roxas winces as it moves the wrong way, side to side. "You broke my bike. An apology is just not going to satisfy, I'm afraid."

Feeling a bit like a fish, Roxas snaps his mouth closed and reattaches his bag strap, then shrugs it onto his shoulders. "Whatever. I don't think so. I offered an apology and you didn't want it."

Waving a hand dismissively, Roxas turns away from Axel and his broken bike, and begins to walk in the direction of his school even though on foot it takes a solid hour. It would be quicker to just go home and ask his mom for a lift, but he would have to walk back towards Axel the bike guy to get home and he didn't want to do that.

Today just wasn't agreeing with him. Yesterday, everything felt like it was finally going to return to normal, he could relax online and not have to worry about anything. He would get to learn the rules of being an Organization member and he'd feel like he was contributing something important.

With how his luck was going this morning, he would sign into his email and find a reply saying that they had changed their mind. That they didn't think he would do the job satisfactorily and they had found someone better suited. Roxas shakes his head, hoping that with his almost violent head movement, he succeeds in shaking those thoughts out of his mind permanently and they will never stray towards him again. Positive thinking. Yes, he could do that.

"Yo, wait up!"

Or perhaps not.

Silent treatment always works, he tells himself as he starts to walk faster, pretending that he can't hear the sound of swearing and the scrape of metal on the road. Really, he had seen his mom do it to his dad long before they called their marriage over and it always worked for her, that was until the very end and dad stopped caring if she talked or not.

"Hey, kid. I'm talking to you and it is polite to talk back," Axel grunts, suddenly by his side and Roxas gives him a wide eye look before groaning loudly.

"Where is your bike?"

"Left it," Axel replies too cheerfully, falling in step with him and shoving his hands into his pockets. "It was old anyway. Good excuse to get another. You almost did me a favor."

"Great, so there won't be any need for a free meal, then," Roxas mutters sourly, kicking at a bottle into the gutter.

"Did I say that? I don't remember saying that. Nope, you still owe me and I won't let you back out of it."

Roxas has never been violent, in fact he's mostly a very calm natured person but right then he is wishing he had kicked the bag just a little harder. Maybe Axel would have lost a few teeth and wouldn't be able to talk. Smirking, Roxas glances at the red hair out of the corner of his eye and chuckles softly.

"Let me guess, you're going to follow me around until I give in, right?"

Axel grins, walks ahead of him and turns to face Roxas while continuing to walk as he speaks. "Pretty much. You're fairly sharp for a shortie."

"Uh huh." Roxas rolls his eyes and sighs, glancing at his watch again. "Fine. How about breakfast? I missed mine _and_ the bus for school. Might as well feed you and get you off my case while the day is still young."

"Ahh that is what I like to hear, kid." Axel stops walking and Roxas is momentarily struck with fear that this gangly stranger is going to try to hug him. But he doesn't and Roxas attempts to relax. "My choice, your shout and we're even. Sound good?"

"Oh yes. Absolutely fabulous. Honest."

Rolling his eyes some more, Roxas follows Axel around a corner and he watches as food place after food place appear and Axel ignores each and every one of them. He arches a brow but says nothing.

Later, after he has shaken the red head off, he is going to regret not turning up to school, even if late. It was a first; not showing up at all and he didn't even know how this school handled matters. For all he knew they would ring up his mom to check up on him. That could only lead to bad things and a curt talk with his mother later on. One that he never really wants to have but he has made his choice and he'll have to live with the consequences. Hopefully it won't.

There is another smack to the side of his head and he resists the urge to growl and bite the offending hand. Instead he glares at Axel and rubs the abused spot.

"What?" Roxas grumbles. Axel needs serious people skills lessons, he decides.

"Cheer up, kid. We're here."

"How am I'm supposed to cheer up? I'm buying a stranger food. For all I know you are some creepy stalker or junkie. I know! How about I give you some money and you can go jack up or something?"

Axel snorts and continues walking ahead of him, towards some run down restaurant that Roxas has never been to before. Actually, he doesn't think he has even heard of it before.

"I'll pass. I'm terrified of needles and rather go get burnt in a fire or something along those lines." Axel grins at him over his shoulder and Roxas trips up the gutter.

"More of your life story? Man, I'll know everything about you by the end of breakfast." Roxas picks himself up, dusting his pants and avoids Axel eyes, who has caught the fall and is smirking down at him. "Shut up."

To make him feel even worse, Axel holds open the door and gestures for him to enter first, giving a slight bow when Roxas shuffles past. The entire situation is absurd and Roxas wants to go and hide in a garbage can or in the toilets. Anywhere that isn't where Axel and his weird mannerisms are. Right now he could be learning mathematics or getting a library pass or anything that isn't being right here. Roxas twitches.

"Sit," Axel commands, pushing down on his shoulder. Roxas shrugs him off but sits, crosses his arms on the table and slumps forward, tempted to burying his face in his arms. He groans loudly when Axel spins his chair around and straddles it.

"Figures that you wouldn't sit like a normal person," Roxas mutters and gives into temptation, going one step further and banging his head on the table.

"Aww, don't be like that, kid. You should indulge in cheap thrills every now and then. It'll get rid of that stick up your ass."

Roxas glances up at him and Axel winks.

"I don't think I like you," he states firmly and closes his eyes. No, really, he definitely does not like him.

For some reason what he said makes Axel laugh, loudly and raucously, and Roxas begins to worry that the waitress will come over and tell them to be quiet or leave. The waitress does head towards their table and Roxas hastily reaches over, slapping Axel around the face. "Shut up," he hisses, gesturing towards the waitress.

Axel blinks, rubbing his cheek and stares at Roxas as if he has four heads and three noses. "That hurt."

"It was suppose to and I'll do it again if I have to," Roxas retorts and then looks up at the waitress, giving her a pained smile. It probably looked more like a grimace, really but he didn't have a mirror so he couldn't check.Axel opens his mouth but Roxas kicks him under the table before anything can come out.

"Hello," Roxas says politely to the waitress, ignoring the sounds of pained moaning coming from the other side of the table. "Can we get two coffees and whatever your basic –"

"I want a breakfast with the lot," Axel cuts in, talking straight over him.

"…What?"

"You just kicked me, slapped me _and_ you broke my bike." Axel reminds him, crossing his arms over his chest and smirks. "I want the works. I deserve everything, kid."

"But…" Roxas feels himself gaping again, quickly becoming flustered and he can feel the waitress looking at him questioningly, waiting for him. Throwing his hands in the air, he gives in and bangs his head on the table for the second time in less than ten minutes. "Fine. _Fine_ – one breakfast with the lot and one basic breakfast."

"Coming right up," she says chirpily, patting Roxas on the head and he can't bring enough to be offended or annoyed by the touch. Of course Axel wants the lot. Why on earth would someone as thin as him want a small, basic meal? Clearly, Roxas has been under the wrong impression all his life.

"You know, it is polite to introduce yourself when you are buying someone a meal," Axel comments and Roxas feels something hit his head. Looking up, his chin resting on the table, he sees that Axel is bit by bit tearing up a napkin and rolling them into tiny balls. Flicking them in his direction. Roxas closes his eyes, feeling one bounce off his nose and he takes a deep breath, telling himself to ignore the idiot.

"Probably but this meal is nothing but an obligatory apology. Polite conversation or chitchat isn't necessary. Neither are names. You could still be a stalker."

"You need to lighten up. You're far too serious." Axel leans forward, his thumb rubbing between Roxas's eyebrows, above his nose. Roxas frowns, reaching up to swat his hand away. "You're already getting wrinkles. What are you – twelve?"

"I'm seventeen, thank you very much," Roxas snaps, sitting up and pushing his chair back slightly, not willing to risk Axel touching him again. Doesn't he know anything about personal space and that you aren't supposed to invade it unless you are allowed to?

"Now, was that so hard?" Axel grins, that smug smile returning. "I just need a name now and I'll feel a bit more satisfied. Not a life story but a start."

Roxas wonders if he'll spend the entire time with Axel either gaping, glaring or frowning. The three were becoming very common reactions and it wouldn't surprise him if he was to wake up tomorrow with wrinkles. Struggling to think of a suitable retort, one that would shut the red head up for at least five minutes, he is saved by the arrival of breakfast and he can't help but raise both eyebrows when he sees how much is on Axel's plate.

"I refuse to do kitchen cleaning if that costs too much, Axel." His plate looks almost bare in comparison and he idly wonders as he picks at his piece of toast if maybe he should have gotten a breakfast with the lot as well. Probably.

Axel shrugs and starts eating, not bothering to be polite about it and Roxas wrinkles his nose before he finally tears his gaze away. Never had he ever seen anyone eat a sausage in such a way. Roxas stabs at his watery egg and glowers, his appetite evaporating rapidly. Maybe he will be free in ten minutes time and he could – shit. What was he supposed to do for the next five hours? It wasn't like he could go home and sit in front of his laptop. His mom would still be there since she was working from home temporarily and he knew that going back there would not be the most intelligent thing to do. There were no other places he could go for Internet access.

"Why so glum, kid? Looks like someone kicked your dog or something."

"Just eat your food," Roxas snaps, dropping his fork onto the plate with a loud clatter. He drums his fingers on the table, restless thoughts racing as he tries to think of something, anything, but he comes up with nothing. No solution. There was no way he could climb through his bedroom window. His room was above the kitchen and his mom would see him straight away if he tried. There was also the risk that she would go into his room or hear him in there.

"Oy, earth to bike murdering boy. You with me or not?"

"Roxas," he mutters distractedly.

"What?"

Roxas glances at him, waving his hands in front of his chest. "My name. It's Roxas. Not 'bike murdering boy'."

Axel grins so widely that it alarms Roxas and he forgets his current dilemma, concerned that Axel's face might split in two. "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Roxas. As you know, I'm Axel and you broke my bike."

Roxas can only groan and drop his face to the table once more.

However, this time, instead of actually _hitting_ the table, he hits his full plate of food and can feel the watery egg and mashed potatoes sticking to his skin. The sound of Axel laughing and something that sounds suspiciously like a chair scraping across the floor, followed by a loud bang and an exclamation of pain mixed with choked giggles, fills his ears.

Some days you just weren't meant to get up in the morning and Roxas decides that he is going to try to remember that.

---

Reviews are highly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own it. D:

**Beta:** impish-nymph. She helps make my writing understandable. Thank you. -loves-

**A/N: **I love writing this. Thank you for the feedback so far! Hope this chapter is to your liking.

Also, some of this story had to be edited so it could be posted on this site. Mainly links and email addresses. If you would prefer to read the unaltered version, you can find it posted at fullrefund on LiveJournal.

* * *

**Minus 13 **

There are times when stupid things happen, mostly you can pass them off and try to pretend they never occurred. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of those situations and Roxas didn't think Axel would ever _shut up_. Not even a nudge in his ribs could quieten him, he just continued to roll on the floor, gasping for breath and rubbing the tears from his eyes. In any other situation, with someone else, it would have been hilarious to watch, but because he was being laughed at by a stranger, Roxas didn't find it amusing at all.

Roxas wipes his face with a damp cloth their waitress has brought him, hiding her own amusement until she thinks she is out of ear shot. Her laugher just makes his blush more intense and he ponders on withholding a tip, just out of spite.

"Get up," he grumbles, picking chunks of egg out of his hair and dropping them back onto his plate. "You've been lying down there laughing for almost ten minutes. You're making a fool out of yourself."

"M-me? A f-fool?" Axel wheezes, pulling himself up so he is half draped over his chair, arms resting on the seat as he stares up at him. His face remains blank for a few seconds and Roxas begins to relax, thinking that Axel has finally gotten over it. Then his lips twitch and Roxas looks at him warily, opening his mouth to warn Axel not to start laughing again but it's too late.

"Idiot," Roxas groans as Axel falls back to the ground, laughing, and he throws the cloth down on the table and stands, moving over to Axel and crouching down next to him. "Why am I even bothering?"

Of course, the only reply he receives is more laughter and he watches Axel with a mixture of annoyance and very, very vague, highly suppressed, amusement. Bending down, he shoves at Axel's shoulder roughly, grabbing it and shaking him before he gives up. "Fine, stay right there. _I'm _going to pay for _your_ wasted breakfast. Which, I should add, was taken away."

Without waiting to see if Axel is going to respond, he goes to pay, trying to ignore the pointing and laugher directed his way from the other people enjoying their breakfasts. Scowling, Roxas doesn't bother waiting for Axel and exits the restaurant. He walks towards the road and sits on a bench, crossing his arms over his chest and waits. Roxas isn't sure why he is even bothering waiting for Axel, he hadn't wanted to buy him breakfast in the first place, but he couldn't bring himself to just leave without saying anything.

There is a thump and a string of muttered swear words, and then Axel is splayed out on the bench next to him. His arms stretched along the back and Roxas can feel Axel's forearm on the nape of his neck. He shifts, leaning forward, and rests his chin in his hands, elbows supporting on his knees.

"Composed now?" he asks mildly, only a trace of bitterness in his voice. He's quite proud of himself for not sounding more annoyed.

"Much," Axel replies, and he ruffles Roxas's hair, sending his spikes in all sorts of directions. "I've never seen anything so hilarious in my life, kid."

Roxas abruptly stands, patting at his hair and scowls at Axel. "Stop touching me," he mumbles, letting his hand fall back to his side, giving up on his attempt to fix his now mussed up hair.

"What can I say? You're very touchable, Roxas." Axel reaches towards him, grabbing his wrist and twisting it so he can read his watch. "Unlike some people though, I have important places to be and can't afford to laze around, even if it is with great company and the food is free. Let us not forget the extra bonus of hilarious entertainment." There's that grin again, smug and confident, and it seems to take over his entire face.

Roxas glowers, irritated and embarrassed, and shakes Axel's hand off, looking away from him and he slouches. "I do have an important place to be and that is school."

"Yeah, that isn't my fault, kid. You're just lazy."

"I'm_not_ lazy," he snaps, glaring up at him. "I overslept. There is a difference."

"Geez, relax or you'll break something vital." Axel lifts his hand up as if he is trying to protect himself from Roxas but he is still grinning. Roxas stiffens when Axel leans forward, his fingers brushing over the long strands of his hair, gentle this time and not rough like before. It takes a few seconds for him to react, ducking out of his reach. "You've got a curious white substance in your hair. Probably from that egg you got up close and personal with. Can't be from me, I'd remember if we got up close and personal."

"Good bye, Axel," Roxas replies, his voice oddly calm and controlled. He turns and begins to walk, not entirely sure where he is but decides that anywhere is better than staying here. Axel is just plain weird and unsettles him. He's not sure how to react to him, at all, and it is progressively getting weirder every time Axel opens his mouth or lifts his hand towards him.

"See you around, shortie." Axel calls and Roxas gives him a two finger salute over his shoulder. He rolls his eyes when he hears Axel laugh in response and he shoves his hands into his pocket, confident that he'll never see the red-headed freak again.

---

The rest of the day is spent glaring at the library computers from his desk next to the children's book section, wondering if it is too late to attempt hijacking the system and accessing the normal internet. Only the thought of his laptop at home with a perfectly working internet port and only another hour before he can return to it stops him from trying. Sighing, he casts one last resentful glower at the computers before returning to the spread of books in front of him. Guilt from inevitably missing school has him doing work so he doesn't fall behind. There isn't anything else worth doing anyway.

Tapping his pen on the blank page of his history assignment, he allows his gaze to wander around the building again, this time avoiding the computer terminal completely because Roxas doesn't want to spend another five minutes pondering ways to hack into them and get all twitchy in his seat. There really is nothing in this library; it's tiny and cramped, books overcrowded on the shelves and compared to the library at his old home, this one holds only a mere fraction of books. This amuses him slightly. Roxas rolls his eyes and jots downs a few sentences, frowning in concentration as he tries to remember the little amount of information about this town that he had picked up. How can they expect someone who has lived here only a month to know anything about the town's history? It was bad enough when he had to do a report on the Seven Mysteries of Twilight Town and they turned out to just be stupid rumors. At least they were allowed to work in teams for that and he could simply tag along for a day with Hayner, Pence and Olette.

"Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you here, kid."

Roxas freezes, eyes growing impossibly wide, and he can't bear to raise his head. It can't possibly be... Could the world actually loath him that much? It isn't fair. Roxas drops the pen on the table, not caring as it rolls away from him and falls from the desk, landing on the floor with a slight clatter.

"I'm hallucinating or maybe even sleeping with my head in my history book," he tells himself, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "When I open my eyes, I will be very much alone, nothing but my pen and my books."

There is a snort and then something is pinching his cheek, hard, and he yelps, eyes shooting open and he glares up at a very smug red head. "I should be flattered. Dreaming about me already, Roxas? My oh my."

"Don't put words in my mouth," he snarls, rubbing his cheek.

"I wasn't putting _anything_ in your mouth." Axel murmurs, bending over so that he is leaning on the desk, and Roxas stares at him blankly. He blanches suddenly and scoots his chair back so fast that it almost tips over.

"Hey! None of that!" He chuckles awkwardly, feeling his face heat up like it's on fire and he wonders why the air conditioner was turned off. Suddenly suspicious, Roxas glares at Axel. "Why _are_ you even here? Did you follow me?"

Axel rolls his eyes and grins even wider, fingering the edge of Roxas school book absently. "If I say yes, will you buy me a late lunch?"

"No!" Roxas retorts loudly without even thinking and when he notices that Axel is laughing, he realizes that he was joking. "Go away. I have work to do."

"As do I, kid. As do I." Axel admits with a grin and a wink, standing back upright and shifts the books cradled under his arm. "Why else would _I_ be in a library?"

Brows creasing, Roxas looks at Axel and then around the library, not willing to believe that someone like him would or could even work here. "You work _here_?" he exclaims, baffled yet highly amused. "Sorry, but you hardly seem the type."

Shrugging, Axel turns and walks over towards the computer terminal, placing the books on the desk as he lounges in one of the chairs. "Gotta work to live, shortie. When you're big enough, you'll understand that."

Roxas rolls his eyes, but he stands, curious, when he sees Axel load a page that he shouldn't be able to access on that computer. Eyes wide, he wanders over and stands behind Axel, his hands resting on the back of his chair. "How did you get to _that _site?" he whispers.

"Huh?" Axel turns in his seat, craning his neck to look up at him upside down, and then he grins cheekily. "Library staff privileges, of course."

"So you can access anything you want?" he asks and Axel hums in agreement, distracted. Roxas watches at Axel pulls something out of his pocket, a card of some sort, and waves it in his face before putting it away.

"Have my very own access code," Axel says smugly. "I can use the normal Internet instead of just the Intranet. Pretty cool, huh?"

Nodding absently, he continues to look over Axel's shoulder as he flicks through random YouTube clips, not pausing to load any since there were no speakers.

"Shove off, Roxas. I got shit to do and I can't have you hovering like that over me. You're far too distracting and for all I know, you could sneak a glance at my passwords or email and become my stalker."

Roxas blinks, scratching the back of his head, and he realizes what he had been doing. He hates it when people hover around him when he is trying to check email or Minus 13, feeling a mix of self consciousness and annoyance until whomever it is wanders back off again. It is rude, and here he is doing it to someone else.

He mumbles an apology, quickly returning back to his desk and his books but he watches Axel out the corner of his eye as he types quickly over the keyboard, not even acknowledging his absence or his apology. Typical. So much for Axel needing to do 'work'. What type of library work could he be doing on the Internet?

Roxas can't believe it though; a simple code and you can easily access the Internet from these computers. All you need is to work here and you get it. If only he had known that, he could have gotten a part time job here during the last month and would have had Internet access. Figures that he finds this out when it no longer matters.

Sighing, Roxas looks at his watch and grins in relief, hurriedly packing his stuff away. Finally, it is okay to leave and head home without his mother getting suspicious. By the time he walks there, it would still be about ten minutes earlier than what he normally gets home at but if he walks slow enough or thinks of a convincing excuse, it should be fine. As long as the school hasn't rung home, he reminds himself, wincing at the thought of what might be waiting for him.

There is only one way to find out. He shrugs his bag onto his back and glances over at Axel, who is still typing away as if he doesn't actually have library work to be doing. Roxas rolls his eyes. Shouldn't be so surprising, Axel _did_ seem like the lazy type.

And yet, "Bye, Axel."

"Huh?" Axel tears his eyes away from the monitor, like it is the hardest thing he has ever done, and looks slightly confused as he glances around. "Oh! Later, shortie," he grins, showing white teeth, and salutes him, winking slyly. Roxas snorts and returns the gesture, withholding the wink.

---

"I had an interesting phone call from your school this morning," his mother says as soon as he closes the front door. Roxas stiffens and slowly turns around, holding onto his bag and lifting it up to his chest, using it as a shield.

"I can explain..." he returns, laughing nervously and shifting from foot to foot, glancing to the side and away from his mother. Sometimes, when she isn't fussing and bringing him muffins that he doesn't want, she can be frightening and he is grateful that he never saw his parents argue. It isn't right seeing a man cower because of a woman, even though he is doing that right now but he tries to pretend that he isn't.

"I should hope so, Roxas. It isn't everyday you get phone calls like that." She crosses her arms over her chest and raises a brow, waiting. "Well?"

"Well..." Roxas doesn't know what to say, nothing seems to sound right to him, no matter how he tries to word it. He hadn't meant to miss school but his mom would just blame the laptop for keeping him up all night. "I didn't mean for it to happen..."

"How could you not mean for it to happen, Roxas?" Roxas winces and takes a side step towards the stairs, wanting to just run up them and hide himself in his room. Where he can lose himself online where school and attendance aren't a concern.

"I just didn't?"

"Uh huh," his mother says, skeptical and she points a finger at him, and Roxas isn't certain is he is seeing it right but she _smiles_. "How can you _not_ mean to pass all your classes with top scores, Roxas?"

Roxas blinks, confused, and he just stares up at her for a few moments. "Huh?"

"Why didn't you tell me, Roxas, honey?" There is warmth and Roxas blinks more, lifting his arms belatedly to return the embrace. "I'm so proud of you." Roxas panics when he hears her sniffle and her arms tighten around him, impossibly tight, and he pats her back awkwardly. "I'm so pleased that- that the divorce didn't affect your education negatively."

"Oh, yeah, me too, mom," he replies, beginning to understand what must have happened. Gradually, his heart stops beating so erratically, and he grins sheepishly, even though his mom can't see it. Relief that he hasn't been caught washes over him, and he hugs his mom more naturally, before carefully removing her arms from around himself. Holding her hands as he takes a step back, he smiles at her. "I told you not to worry about that stuff, mom."

She sighs and she smiles sadly. "I know, but I'm your mother, I'm supposed to worry about those things. You're the most important person to me; I don't want what happened between me and your dad to affect you badly." Letting go of his hands, she pats them before releasing them. "It was why I never complained about how much time you spent out of the house or how much time you spent online. It was your way of coping, I know that."

Roxas feels a spike of guilt tear through him, wishing he could restart this entire day so that he wakes up on time and doesn't miss his bus. Somehow, he decides firmly, he is going to make up for it. He glances up the stairs, up at his closed bedroom door, and he looks back at his mom when she laughs.

"Go on. I'm going to watch a movie anyway. You don't need to listen to all of this." She smiles, gesturing for him to go but he hesitates, looking from the stairs to his mom, and he returns the smile.

"What movie are we watching?"

---

Romantic comedies have never been his movies of choice, but it was great to see his mother laughing and relaxed, simply enjoying herself and they ate a bowl of junk food together, forgoing dinner for the night. It made him relax and enjoy himself; he even managed to laugh at some of the more corny moments in the film. He rolled his eyes when his mother got all weird when a sex scene came on and she shoved a pillow in his face, telling him to block his ears. It was all worth it though, to see the happy flush to his mother cheeks when the credits began to roll and to have her bid him a good night with a lighter step as he ascended the stairs.

Now, back in his room, he drops his bag onto the floor and casts a yearning look towards his cold, neglected laptop, but he needs a shower first. Roxas forces himself to grab a clean pair of boxers and then he shuffles reluctantly out of his bedroom. The shower is hot, refreshing, and he forgets about wanting the laptop as he simply enjoys the water on his skin, humming in contentment. The day seems to have gone by so fast, crazily so, and he still can't quite believe how he had spent it. He chuckles to himself as he turns the water off, telling himself that it isn't right to think about _him_ while he is naked and wet. This morning was probably the most interesting thing that has happened to him since moving here. Not even the Seven Mysteries could compare. (Actually, he had never been so bored in his life during that whole mini adventure.)

Drying off, he glances at his reflection in the steamy mirror and frowns, leaning close to make sure that there isn't left over egg in his hair. Roxas rolls his eyes but he catches a tiny grin on his lips. He glowers at his reflection and switches off the light, hiding from the smile.

After he gets dressed, Roxas climbs onto his bed, pulling his laptop towards him and switches it on, stretching his arms over his head with a satisfied sigh as it loads. It feels so good to just relax completely, doing something that he enjoys and has wanted to do practically all day. He types in his password, smirking as he does, and watches the screen fade away to show his blank desktop. He'll have to find something striking to use as a proper, long term, background but right now he can't be bothered to go searching through various forums and sites just to find one that appeals to him. Generally, they usually find him and he falls in love with the picture and sets it as his desktop image. The last one he remembers having was something abstract, bright colors and almost painful to look at for too long. It helped deter the people who tried to watch his screen over his shoulder. For some reason they didn't like the image very much. Roxas had been very fond of it.

_332 Unread Emails. 6 Spam Email._

He'll have to do something about all those emails piling up sooner or later. It'll start to bother him after awhile. Roxas doesn't like it when his inbox isn't in some semblance of order, sorted into filters and folders, his contacts named correctly and in order of importance, and his spam email folder had to always be empty. With a sigh, Roxas deletes the spam first, not glancing at the subject or sender. There should be a way to permanently ban those sites from sending him spam, he muses, flicking back over to his main inbox. There is another email from the Organization and his fingers twitch, wanting to check it first but Roxas decides to leave it until he has the rest sorted. Something to look forward to and motivate him to keep going.

Selecting his family filter, Roxas groans when he sees all the emails from his cousin, Sora, and notice that a huge portion of the 332 are from his email address alone. They are all attachments and forwarded mail, naturally. Stupid jokes that Sora thinks are hilarious and Roxas thinks are stupid. None of those jokes are ever funny and no matter how often Roxas emails Sora to tell him to stop sending them, he continues. Not once has Roxas ever forwarded one of those chain mails. He thinks that by now he should have tallied up roughly 500 years bad luck, if not more, and that doesn't count a permanent bad love life and ghosts haunting his bedroom. The only reason he doesn't sort Sora email address into the junk filter is because every now and again, he does send him a proper email about what has been going on at Destiny Islands, about school, their family and Sora's friends, about how Roxas and his mother should have moved to the Islands instead of even further away, how they should go to the same collage next year...

Scanning through the pointless junk Sora sent, he spots three promising emails, and deletes about 200 others that don't interest him in the slightest. Roxas sighs in relief when his inbox drops considerably and he saves Sora's emails for reading later, after he deletes the rest and before he reads the Organization email. More junk mail that somehow slipped through the filter, random sites he had joined, private Minus 13 messages notifications, email from a few of his old friends, his _dad_… Roxas eyebrows shoot up when he sees that one and he opens it, briefly scanning it before he scowls and deletes it with a huff. Nothing new, just his dad apologizing, saying that he'll miss him, and that he cares about him but doesn't think it would be wise to see each other any time soon. Roxas doesn't think he should bother.

-

From: KeybladeMASTER. ipwntrinketkeyblades(at)hotmail(dot)com

To: SeaSalt. trinketkeyblades(at)gmail(dot)com

Subject: ROXASSSSSS.GUESS WHAT:D

ROXAS!

i asked mom and ill be visiting you guys in a month! isn't that great? you HAVE to show me around, promise? i havent been off the islands in AGES. i cant wait. riku and kairi are coming too. so you better make some room for us. im stealing your bed and you can go sleep on the floor. :D

WRITE BACK!

-

It takes all Roxas's self control not to twitch at Sora's disregard for punctuation and capitals but he can't help but grin. He is excited about the email but resists the urge to go wake his mom up and tell her the news. He glances at the date and his grin widens when he realizes that it was sent two week ago. Two more weeks and Sora will be here, in Twilight Town, and they can wreck havoc on the town and Roxas can show him how boring a place it is to live.

Roxas hasn't seen Sora in a few years, not since the last time Roxas and his mom and dad visited the islands. They must have been about fourteen or fifteen at the time and they had taken over the play island, tormenting Selphie and Kairi with wooden swords and water bombs, and being laughed at by Riku when the two girls got revenge by stealing their clothes when they stripped off to their underwear to go swimming. Not to mention the girls had also taken their boat, leaving them stranded on the island for two long, hot hours. Roxas shakes his head at the memory, laughing softly.

They had gotten so sun burnt. Instead of hiding in the tree houses until the sun set, they yelled on the beach, throwing clumps of sand at the retreating boats and tackling each other, wrestling in the sun. Eventually, Riku had taken pity on them and brought his boat back, throwing a spare shirt at them to argue over as they returned to the main land.

It was a good vacation. Roxas couldn't believe it had been so long since they had seen each other. Shaking his head, he clicks on the reply link and types out a quick message, his excitement building rapidly.

-

From: SeaSalt. trinketkeyblades(at)gmail(dot)com

To: KeybladeMASTER. ipwntrinketkeyblades(at)hotmail(dot)com

Subject: Re: ROXASSSSSS.GUESS WHAT:D

Hey, Sora.

See you still haven't figured out how to type correctly. Well, I'll be sure to show you how while you are here. :D Try not to get yourself lost on your way. Only you could get yourself lost in a place like Twilight Town annnnnd you are going to sleep on the floor. I'm staying in my bed. Since it is _my_ bed and all, you'll understand.

See you in two weeks.

Roxas.

-

After he replies, he quickly glances over the other two emails from Sora and snorts when he realizes that they are just disguised junk mail and he deletes those as well. Bloody Sora. He should know that he would hide a few of those in with the rest of the emails. Out of 200 emails Sora sends, only _one_ has a purpose. But at least it's interesting news, something for Roxas to look forward to over the next two weeks. Not to mention he'll have to figure out how the hell they are going to fit three extra bodies in their house.

The house isn't small but it isn't big either. It is comfortable for just the two of them. Three bedrooms. The third is a spare, currently full of left over boxes and with no bed. The only other suitable place for sleeping are the lounges down stairs and there are only two of those. Roxas has no idea how they are all going to fit. He'll definitely have to talk to his mom about it in the morning and hopefully she will sort something out. Maybe they could set up a tent or something in the backyard.

Sighing, Roxas finally opens the email from the Organization, pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts, somehow still nervous about the whole process and somewhat uncertain about whether he is definitely going to go ahead with the moderator position.

-

From: Organization. Organization(at)minus13(dot)com

To: SeaSalt. Trinketkeyblades(at)gmail(dot)com

Subject: Re: Moderator Application.

Welcome to Minus 13.

I apologize for not being the one to welcome you to our forum but as you could tell, another member decided it was his responsibilities to send you the necessary information before I had a chance to reply.

From this point onwards, if you require any assistance, please forward them to hipsdontlie(at)minus13(dot)com and not the main site email. HipsDontLie will introduce you to the site and how it works on the inside.

Good luck.

Regards,

TheBrainGame.

Organization.

-

"…What," Roxas gasps, eyes going wide very rapidly. He rereads the email a few times, hoping that he is reading it incorrectly or that his mind is playing tricks on him. A cruel joke, perhaps. Something, anything, other than what is currently on the screen in front of him. "Shit."

Roxas taps his fingers on the laptop, agitated and annoyed, and contemplates replying to the main email and tell them that he has changed his mind, that he doesn't think he is suitable for the position. It would be much easier, simpler, and he won't have to talk to HipsDontLie at all. Something he prefers to avoid, even before when he was just a member and frequented the site daily.

It wouldn't be hard to do and if they got annoyed at him for wasting their time, Roxas could easily create a new username and pretend the entire thing never happened. Only he would know. It wouldn't be an issue. Probably would need to change his email, and email all his other contacts with his new address…

Roxas closes the mail and blinks when he sees a new email pop up, recognizing the address immediately and groans aloud. It was like his thoughts were being read and there would be no escape, no peace until he figures what he is doing and makes a decision. Glaring at the email, he opens it, closing his eyes as it loads. Roxas opens his eyes and promptly reads it as fast as he can, like ripping off a band-aid as quickly as possible. Raising his eyebrows, he rereads it more slowly and actually takes his time to understand what he is reading.

-

From: Thrusty Hips. hipsdontlie(at)minus13(dot)com

To: SeaSalt. trinketkeyblades(at)gmail(dot)com

Subject: Ever had a sea salt ice cream, SeaSalt?

Yo,

Alright. Looks like I got ya all to myself now. Mr PainInTheBrain gave up rights and handed you over to my much better care. You still owe me thanks from my last email. So I'll just add this one to your tally with the other one.

To the point. I own your soul and you will kiss my ass daily, got it? I'm doing you a favor here so you best get used to it. Add me to whatever messenger you use. My addy is HipsDontLie for everything – Yahoo, AIM, MSN… Whatever. Just do it. Now. Why are you still reading this?

Your Master,

HipsDontLie.

-

What on earth was he getting himself into? Roxas smacks himself in the face, takes a deep breath, and moves the curser…

---

_Reviews are appreciated. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I wish...

**Beta:** impish-nymph. Who kicked my ass a lot with this chapter. THANK YOU. No idea what I would do without you.

**A/N:**Ahaha. Er. Well, this chapter took a lot longer than expected. I had a frustrating case of writings block, and then real life and just blah. But! Here it is, finally. Please enjoy and leave me your thoughts!

Also, some of this story had to be edited so it could be posted on this site. Mainly links and email addresses. If you would prefer to read the unaltered version, you can find it posted at fullrefund on LiveJournal.

* * *

**Minus 13**

_HipsDontLie is currently offline._

Roxas stares at his screen blankly, vaguely wondering when his left eye had developed an uncontrollable twitch and how to stop it before it becomes permanent. The world is out to get him, Roxas realizes grimly. There is no other explanation. None. Nothing comes to mind. The world hates him and enjoys watching him get worked up and then pulls everything out from under him with a sadistic grin. It really isn't fair.

With an indignant huff, Roxas shuts down his laptop and throws himself back on his bed, glaring up at the ceiling. It had taken him ten entire minutes to convince himself that adding HipsDontLie to his messengers wasn't the end of the world. Even though it had felt like it. And for what? He wasn't even online. All the talk about adding him straight away and _he_ wasn't even there. Roxas isn't stupid. That email wasn't there when he first checked his email. It had come after he had read the only Organization email.

Surely HipsDontLie didn't sign off ten minutes after sending the email? Roxas scowls darkly, turning on his side to glare across his bedroom. It isn't all that hard to imagine. It seems like something the bastard would do. Send the email, demand action, and not be there for when he does. Unless… Unless HipsDontLie is _invisible_? Waiting to see if he adds him and what he does after it. Maybe it is some kind of test?

Roxas's eyes go wide. Cursing, he hurriedly sits back up and turns the cooling laptop back on with more force than he intends. If that is it, if he is waiting for Roxas to message him and make the first move, to speak first… Roxas types his password in furiously, fingers moving swiftly and the keys make loud clanking noises as if they are protesting the rough treatment. Impatiently, he glowers at the screen as it loads and his messengers pop up, logging him in automatically. He scans his contact list, double clicking on the offending screen name and types the first thing that comes to mind.

**SeaSalt:** If you are invisible, I'm sending a highly malicious virus to your email.

Hitting the enter key with satisfaction, Roxas waits, eyes fixed at the bottom of the IM window. Waiting for the indication that HipsDontLie is invisible and playing a stupid game with his head. He's convinced that this must be a stupid test from Minus 13 and he has almost failed.

Roxas waits for ten minutes before giving up and switches off his laptop with an irritated sigh.

---

Roxas had the sense of mind to set his alarm before he fell asleep. In fact, he had been extra cautious and set the alarm on his cell phone as well.

At exactly 7:05am two sets of alarms wake him from his deep sleep and dreams of becoming a world renowned Internet hacker. He fumbles blindly to switch them both off, mind disorientated and his limbs half asleep and clumsy. Roxas slides off his bed with a muffled thump, landing on his hands and knees with his blankets cocooning him and shielding the bright sunlight from reaching his eyes. He presses his forehead into the soft carpet, wishing he could crawl back into his warm, comfortable and _very_ tempting bed.

Breathing softly, he closes his eyes, simply kneeling there for awhile. Roxas almost dozes back off, body shuddering back awake with a start. Wiping his hand over his eyes, he forces himself to his feet, shrugging the blankets off and stumbles around his bedroom. He changes into clean clothes and runs gel coated fingers through his hair, movements practiced and he barely needs to pause and think. By 7:15am, he is making his way downstairs and grunts a greeting at his mom as he collapses into a kitchen chair and drops his bag by his feet.

"Rough night?" she asks with a laugh, pushing a plate of buttered toast in front of him. "I slept like a baby."

Grunting again, Roxas methodically picks at his food and eats it slowly. He watches his mom as she moves around the kitchen, her nightgown tied loosely around her waist and her hair mussed up from sleep. She smiles at him when she catches his gaze.

"I have to go to the library to get some books. I can drop you off to school this morning, if you want," she continues speaking cheerfully as she makes herself a bowl of cereal and a mug of coffee. "It's a shame that I didn't need to go yesterday, hmm? You wouldn't have been late to school, then."

Roxas chokes on his toast, coughing until his mom walks over to him and pats his back roughly. She passes him a glass of water and gazes down at him appraisingly. "Chew before you swallow, Roxas."

After finishing the glass of water and drying his mouth on the back of his hand, Roxas hastily stands up and takes his plate and glass to the sink. "I think I'll walk, Mom, but thanks." Roxas flashes her a forced smile. He snatches up his bag and backs out of the room. "See you later!"

"Bye, Roxas," she calls, sounding amused.

---

Outside, Roxas takes a much needed deep breath and shakes his head, shoving his hands into his pockets as he walks down the street swiftly. There is no way that he'll be late for school today. He has left with more than enough time to catch the bus to school. He'll probably end up with a good extra fifteen minutes loitering by the bus stop but that is better than missing the bus again.

Roxas muses over the previous night, wondering if he'll have better luck this afternoon. Snorting, Roxas rolls his eyes. Luck? He isn't even sure he _wants_ to talk to HipsDontLie. He would be lucky if Mr. Thrusty Hips _never_ logged on and he would be assigned a replacement mentor.

"Yo!"

Roxas stops walking after a moment. His thoughts freeze completely, frosting before icing over and finally cracking and melting away. Slowly, he turns around, not quite believing that the world insists on throwing more arrogant males in his direction. Briefly, he contemplates on devoting his day to sending bogus chain emails to get rid of his 500 years of bad luck.

"Why am I stuck with the annoying, irritating bastards?" Roxas growls at the smirking face of Axel.

Axel has the nerve to laugh. "Well, it might be that _adorable_ pout of yours."

"Shut up!" Roxas snaps. He takes a step towards Axel, bunching his fists together tightly in his pockets and resists the urge to pull them out so he can hit the smirk off the older male's face. "Why are you here?"

"I thought I was walking but I could be confused," Axel replies smoothly, not pausing and continues to walk past Roxas. "Unlike you, I have places to be."

"We went over this yesterday. I have _school_ which is very important." Roxas starts walking again, speeding up so he overtakes Axel, not willing to let him beat him. Not that it was a competition, he tells himself, but he can't help reacting that way.

"I recall calling you lazy."

Roxas glares at Axel over his shoulder. "You're very wrong."

"This is coming from the guy who is catching a bus to school."

"It is a long walk," Roxas protests. "It would take over an hour by foot."

"It'll get rid of that puppy fat. Not that I'm complaining or anything." Axel throws him a smirk. "You have _very_ cute round cheeks."

Roxas gapes, indignant retorts dying on his lips as Axel overtakes him for the second time. Roxas stares at his back for a moment. Finally, he retorts angrily, "I don't have _any_ fat!"

"You will if you spend all your time sitting in a bus."

For a moment, Roxas doesn't know how the hell he is supposed to respond. It crosses his mind that this conversation is the most pointless conversation he has ever had. Roxas walks forward quickly, grabbing Axel's arm roughly and jerks him to a halt. "You rode a bike. That isn't walking," he says smugly, yanking on Axel's arm lightly.

Axel cocks an eyebrow and flicks the tip of Roxas's nose. "Wanna see my leg muscles, Blondie?"

"What?" Roxas exclaims, letting go of Axel as if burnt. "No!"

Axel's grin is razor sharp. Roxas takes a step back without being conscious of doing so. When he realizes what he is doing, he glowers and spins on the heels of his feet, stomping away from the laughing red head. "Annoying, irritating _bastard_," he mutters, kicking a clump of grass growing from a crack in the pavement.

It seems like Axel isn't going to follow him and he begins to relax, not bothering to watch where he is going and just stares at his feet, frowning heavily. Roxas isn't even sure why the older male bothers him. Sure, he had made him buy him breakfast but Roxas had broken his bike, even if it was just an accident. That isn't enough to give him reason to dislike Axel and be rude. (Although being rude or just short tempered isn't something new for him but he likes to pretend that it's not a part of his personality.)

And yes, some of the things Axel says are weird and make him somewhat uncomfortable but he is entertaining, just in a very strange way. It is probably because Roxas isn't used to interacting with people like Axel. Not even where he used to live. There were people who looked even stranger than Axel but Roxas had never approached them. Roxas vaguely recalls seeing a group of teens sporting about twenty piercings in their faces, leaving any other piercings on their bodies to the imagination. They spent all their time playing acoustic guitars while smoking something that wasn't tobacco and dancing around together. Roxas had made an effort to stay away from them.

In Twilight Town, Axel sticks out like a rusty nail. Roxas forces his mind away from the thought that he wants to hammer Axel into proper shape. Thinking like that just brings distressing images to mind, images that he is half certain that he'd never consider before he met Axel and suffered his uncomfortable comments.

"Glad to see you followed my advice, Roxas," Axel remarks as he appears by his side again, interrupting Roxas's thoughts. Roxas darts a glance up at Axel's face and immediately looks away again, scowling darkly.

"I'd rather walk into a wall than follow any advice _you_ could give."

"Oh please do," Axel says with a chuckle, nudging Roxas. "I haven't had my dose of humiliation induced entertainment yet."

Roxas glares and side steps slightly, adjusting his bag on his back. "Not going to happen. Now, go away. I have a bus to… " His words trail off as he looks around at his surroundings, slowing to a stop as he turns in a full circle. Facing Axel again, he pokes his chest with a finger and scowls up at him accusingly. "You purposely let me walk past my bus stop, didn't you?"

Axel backs away with a grin, lifting his hands up in what is supposed to be an innocent gesture. "Now, would I do that? No, of course not. You really _do_ think badly of me, don't you?"

"What on earth gave you that impression?" Roxas retorts sarcastically. With one last huff, Roxas pushes past Axel and walks back in the direction they had both just come from. He glances at his watch, sighing in relief. The bus won't arrive for a few more minutes, if it is running on time, so he shouldn't miss it. If he somehow does, Roxas knows where Axel works and he will quite happily take himself over there to have a word with his employer.

"What, no goodbye hug for poor little me? You wound me, Roxas. You truly do."

Roxas doesn't dignify that with a response and continues walking.

---

"Roxas!" Hayner calls from the back of the bus, waving at him. Roxas flashes him a grin and makes his way towards the back, stepping over a few bags piled on the floor. "We saved you a seat just in case you dragged yourself to school today."

"Thanks guys," Roxas replies awkwardly, taking the free spot between Pence and the window. He belatedly realizes that it is the side that faces the pavement. He grimaces as the bus starts moving and he turns away from the glass, not wanting to see Axel again.

Olette leans forward, touching his arm lightly and smiles at him. "Were you sick?"

Roxas pulls a face, feeling nervousness bubbling in his stomach but he shakes his head. "No, I just missed the bus …and was tied up with something else."

"Oh?" Olette's fingers wrap around his arm. "Anything important? We were assigned our projects yesterday; the ones that are worth 40 of our total grade. Did you forget?"

Hayner slowly drags his finger across his throat, pretending to choke and gag, falling against his window with his tongue hanging limp out of his mouth. Roxas wants to hit him but tries to ignore him instead.

"Ah… Yeah, I did actually."

Olette is a nice girl, sweet, but she does have a mild temper that flares up when certain triggers are mentioned. Missing school or not handing in school work is one trigger that Roxas learnt fairly quickly after spending some time with them.

Roxas can still remember Olette berating Hayner for an entire hour when she found out he skipped two days of school to practice Struggle fighting. It isn't something you could easily forget. She had only stopped lecturing Hayner because she got a call on her cell from her mother about her elder sister going into labor. It was like Olette was suffering from a serious case of split personality. The lecturing fearsome beast transformed into a mass of uncontrollable girlishness, something that squeaked and squealed over the phone and promptly hugged all three of them, then left them all in a state of shock. Olette is definitely going to make a very intimidating wife one day, Roxas thinks and remembers deciding that he is never introducing her to his mom.

"Aren't you going to elaborate, Roxas?" Olette presses, her smile kind and terrifying at the same time. "The teacher wasn't very happy that you were absent. She had told us the day before to make sure we were at school yesterday."

"I had breakfast with… an old friend. I completely forget about it," Roxas replies weakly. He had forgotten about the assignment. It was very lucky the school didn't mention it during the call to his mom.

"From where you used to live?"

"Yeah," Roxas pauses as Olette removes her hand. He feels a sense of relief settling over him and he relaxes, resting his head against the window and he closes his eyes. "They were the reason I missed the bus. Figured that we might as well spend some time together since there was no way I'd get to school on time."

"Still, you could have simply come late and told your friend that you'd talk to them later," Olette tells him practically, a note of disapproval in her voice. "You'll have to explain to the teacher now. Hopefully you won't get any marks deducted."

Tiring of the lecture, Roxas hums, agreeing even though he doesn't mean it. Lying isn't right, he knows this, but he is aware that in the last two days he has lied to two different people. Roxas wonders if this is Axel's fault. Not that there is any reason to blame him but it is easier to do so. It is becoming an interesting bad habit.

Olette sighs and starts talking to Pence, leaving Roxas in peace. He opens his eyes, catching a glimpse of red out of the window and he grimaces, feeling an uncomfortable urge to shift in his seat and stare out of the window behind him. He resists. It doesn't matter.

The rest of the bus ride is quick and Olette doesn't try to pry or lecture him about school. They don't know each other well enough yet to press further, to push each other the way like friends that have known each other for years do. Roxas is relieved by this and enjoys the silence around him. The soft murmurs of conversation a few seats away and the noise of the students at the front of the bus drift down towards him. It lulls around him, relaxing him, and he gradually tunes it all out as he stares at the town outside; the small clutter of shops, the people strolling around, greeting each other with smiles and handshakes, the long familiarity of knowing each and every person for years.

It begins to get too much to watch and Roxas turns away, gazing up at the ceiling of the bus and he counts the bags resting in the holders. Safe and secure. Roxas tightens his hold on his bag, pressing it firmly into his chest.

"Roxas, are you free this weekend?" Hayner asks, poking his shoulder not so gently. Roxas blinks, staring at Hayner blankly for a moment. Hayner shifts in his seat, looking somewhat unnerved by Roxas unwavering gaze. He laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck – an uncomfortable gesture that Roxas recognizes immediately. "Roxas? Any one home in there?"

"Ahh sorry," Roxas apologizes, frowning as he rubs his face. "Yes… Yeah, I'm free. Why?"

Hayner grins widely, puffing up proudly and almost bounces in his seat. "My parents are going out of town for the weekend and since the Struggle is on Friday, thought it was a great time to host a celebration party for my inevitable win."

"I still don't think this is a good idea, Hayner," Olette intervenes, looking both concerned and exasperated. "Do you remember what happened last time someone tried to have a party?"

Hayner snorts, waving his hand dismissively "They publicly announced that there would be alcohol. I'm not stupid, you know."

"What happened last time?" Roxas asks, vaguely curious.

As far as he knew, Twilight Town really isn't the place to host parties. The town is too small and there really aren't enough places to go. People seem content to not go on vacations. Roxas doesn't know how they can be happy simply living here and not go exploring or visiting other places. The adults must live very dull lives.

Both Hayner and Olette shift uncomfortably. They share a glance before both looking at Pence at the same time.

Roxas leans forward, nudging Pence. "Pence?"

Pence laughs, shuffling in his seat and scratches his chin, a thoughtful expression coming over his face. "Apparently some of the adults took over the party and were slightly embarrassing."

"'Slightly embarrassing' my ass," Hayner interrupts. "You didn't see_your_ parents dancing and drinking themselves blind. I still can't get the image of my parents practically eating each other's faces out of my mind." The blond shudders and screws up his face.

Olette nods and Roxas notices a slight pink tinge to her cheeks. "Was there anything else, Olette?"

"Hmm? What?" Olette meets Roxas eyes, looking startled but quickly hides it behind an unconvincing grin. "Oh no. I think that was it. I'm almost definitely sure that was it."

"I don't know how to say this politely but you can't lie for shit, Olette," Roxas informs her with a small smile. She really can't. Everything about her screams "I'm lying. I'm lying!" and it just makes Roxas more curious.

This is probably the most fascinating piece of information he has heard about the town and its adult occupants. Maybe they didn't need to go on vacations and spend lots of money exploring different countries. They probably held secret parties away from their children's eyes. There is no way that he is letting the conversation drop until he knows everything that happened.

It takes a little while, a lot more probing and coercing but he eventually breaks Olette down to admitting she had walked in on her parents doing a bit more than making out on the dining room table. She told them that she still had trouble looking at her parents directly when they were together.

"Its worse when they _kiss_ or something," Olette grumbles, smacking Hayner's head in attempt to get him to stop laughing. "Hayner, shut up! It's not funny. It could have easily been your parents."

"Yeah but it wasn't. It was… It was _your_ p-parents," Hayner chokes out. His eyes are watering and he's constantly wiping them, his hand shaking wildly. "I just… Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Because I knew you would react like this! It's embarrassing."

Pence and Roxas glance at each other, eyebrows raised and they shrug helplessly. It's amusing to watch the two go at each other. Both their faces are flushed, one with embarrassment, the other with laughter.

"I hope your party will be just as entertaining, Hayner," Roxas offers with a smirk. "Who knows who'll be doing what in who knows where in your house. Maybe Pence could set up a few video feeds?"

Roxas immediately regrets saying that as both Pence and Hayner look like they have been hit with an amazing, incredible and brilliant idea. "Guys… I was joking."

"Imagine the content. The raw material." Hayner's eyes glaze over and he turns to Pence. "Do you think you could set something like that up?"

"I can't see why not. I can borrow a few of the school's cameras and set them up on Saturday morning."

Roxas looks over at Olette and she quirks a brow at him, shrugging a shoulder as if to say: you suggested it. You deal with it.

"I don't think this is a good idea, guys," Roxas says. His words go unheard and he slumps back in his seat. The weekend is definitely going to be an interesting one, he realizes grimly.

---

Thankfully, the rest of the day goes fast and Roxas manages to convince Hayner and Pence that having twenty video cameras planted around Hayner's home is a touch excessive. Eventually, they agree. Instead they decide on fifteen cameras and a few microphones inserted into plants and pillow cases. Roxas gives up, vaguely horrified.

He questions whether he wants to risk going now that he knows it is most likely everything will be captured on film. There are plenty of sites the footage could end up on and he really doesn't want to be seen on YouTube any time soon.

Roxas cringes at the thought as he walks through the school gates, imagining the various innocent looking situations that could be easily taken out of context with Pence's video editing skills. Not that he thinks Pence would intentionally do it, but if Hayner is there encouraging it, who knows what may end up happening. There are still a few days to decide whether he is going to go. It is just a shame Sora and his friends won't be there for it because they would probably enjoy the social aspect more than he would.

Roxas isn't the best at socializing, preferring his own company and only talking to those he knows. He feels more relaxed talking freely online with a screen between him and everyone else. It might have something to do with the fact he can sign off or block whoever he is talking to if he gets sick of them. He has a bad habit of doing that.

Then there is Axel.

Axel. Roxas stops walking, ignoring the irritated comments directed his way from the people who have to swerve not to walk into him. He doesn't know what he thinks of the eccentric red head. The times when they have crossed paths he has annoyed Roxas, but there is something in his personality that tickles him. Axel is interesting because he is different and doesn't seem to hold back.

Most people take one look at him and leave him after he tells them he's not interested in friendship. It must have something to do with whatever expression he has on his face at the time or how he talks to them that puts them off. It hadn't worked on Axel, though. It didn't seem to bother him at all.

Roxas starts walking again, frowning down at his feet as he thinks about it more, and he gets on his bus without really thinking about it. He ignores Olette when she calls to him from the back of the bus. Instead he sits down near the front, resting his forehead against the cool glass and watches the streets flash by.

It bothers him that Axel isn't discouraged by his attitude. Roxas suspects that it would take a lot more to annoy Axel to the extent that he would stop talking. For some reason, Roxas can't bring himself to contemplate what he may need to do to have that sort of lasting impact. He realizes suddenly, so suddenly that he rocks forward abruptly and hits his head on the window, that he doesn't want Axel to stop talking to him. It shocks him. Roxas sits there, rubbing his forehead gingerly, and stares at his translucent reflection in the glass.

As much as Axel has irritated him the last two days, he feels amusement under the annoyance and Roxas finds him to be entertaining to be around. Maybe not when he has to buy Axel food or when Axel laughs at him for doing something stupid and embarrassing. But the way he talks and carries himself is so different, so out of place, that it calls to Roxas and he can't help but be fascinated by it.

The normalcy in this town, all the boring sameness that has become his everyday life has been breached and ripped apart by an insane red head. Perhaps things might turn out to be somewhat more interesting around town.

Roxas realizes with a jolt that he is about to miss his stop. He quickly gets to his feet, grateful that he decided to sit near the front, and calls to the bus driver to stop and let him off. The driver grumbles irritably, muttering under his breath but Roxas ignore him as he hurriedly stumbles down the steps.

"Thanks," he mumbles to the closing bus door, still lost in thought.

---

**HipsDontLie:** call me 'Thrusty'.

**Sea****Salt:** No.

**Hips****DontLie:** What, you're going to know me very intimately from now on, Salty. An intimate name is necessary for my position over you.

Roxas stares at the screen, a look of horror coming over his face and he shakes his head.

The curser hovers over the block button - blinking. It would be so easy, so simple, and he could pretend that he never bothered instant messaging HipsDontLie in the first place.

The man is a pervert. For some reason, he has always thought that HipsDontLie was young but it is possible that he is an old, horny pervert who preys on innocent teenage boys. Roxas shudders and decides he'll give the man another chance to hopefully prove that he is normal and plans to take this seriously.

**SeaSalt:** Hips will be fine, thanks.

**Hips****DontLie:** Aww, you're no fun, are you? I think I lucked out with you. Thought you'd be a fun newbie who I could enjoy mentoring thoroughly. All the ins and outs. You know what I mean. Guidance and all that exciting shit.

**HipsDontLie:** With the possibility of cybering on the side. ;)

Roxas closes his eyes, breathing in and out. The block feature is very helpful, he thinks fondly. The ominous click makes him feel much better.

---

-

From: SeaSalt. Trinketkeyblades(at)gmail(dot)com

To: Organization. Organization(at)minus13(dot)com

Subject: Request for a new Mentor.

I demand a different mentor. HipsDontLie is requesting cybering. I did not apply for that.

SeaSalt.

-

Sitting back, Roxas closes his eyes for a moment and stretches his arms over his head. He makes a soft sigh of satisfaction as his muscles pull. The dull ache from sitting at his laptop for over an hour without a break gradually lessens.

It would be easy to simply just switch the laptop off and crawl into bed but it is still too early. There is still dinner and a few pages of homework to at least attempt before he can even think of dozing off for the rest of the night. Roxas yawns and glares at the monitor for a moment but no reply email pops up. What a waste of time, he thinks. He slides off the bed and walks over to his bag, removing the necessary school books and his pens.

The next hour ticks by slowly, the text in front of him blurring and confusing him more often than it makes sense. Finally, Roxas caves and closes the heavy book with a snap, pushing it as far away from him as possible. It is useless. He hasn't got the concentration to focus on this work. His mind keeps flicking back to the email and the short conversation with Mr. Thrusty Hips. Roxas wonders if there is a reply yet, if everything has been resolved, and if maybe he won't have to talk to his 'mentor' again.

Roxas eyes his laptop critically and pulls it towards him, running his finger quickly over the touchpad to turn off the screensaver. He drums his fingers before refreshing his browser and he scans his inbox but there are no new messages. Roxas scowls darkly and exits out of the window.

"Roxas?" his mom calls. "Dinner's ready!"

"Coming, Mom!" Roxas shouts back.

With a snap, he closes the laptop lid and carries it to his desk, dumping his school books next to it with a thump. Maybe after dinner there will be a reply. Roxas scowls, annoyed with himself. The only person he should be annoyed at are the other moderators for making this more difficult than it needed to be. If they had just assigned him someone more responsible and sane, there would be no trouble at all and he would be happily terrorizing new members of the forum. It just better be worth it in the end.

Maybe he'll get to work under TheBrainGame. He seemed a bit stiff and always came off like he thought he was better and smarter than everyone else, even to the other moderators, but at least he wouldn't try to be suggestive towards him. The conversation would most liking be boring and serious but at least it would be over and done with without any hassle. They could both just get on with what they had to do instead and probably forget they ever worked together. If he had to work with HipsDontLie, he highly doubted that he would be able to forget the experience, ever. Especially not if the term 'cyber' was going to be tossed around so easily.

Roxas dismisses the thoughts with a sigh. He can think about this stuff after dinner or even in the morning, deciding that he's had enough of his laptop for the night. As he leaves his room, he gets a whiff of dinner and his stomach grumbles loudly. He pats it as he quickly walks downstairs, wandering into the kitchen. He hovers over his mom's shoulder, looking down at the food she is in the process of dishing out.

"…Soup?" he asks incredulously. It hadn't smelt like soup from upstairs. It had smelt like something much more appealing and satisfying. The soup looks green and overly lumpy. Roxas feels his stomach shrivel in protest and no longer feels hungry.

"It is a stew, Roxas," his mom corrects him, nudging him away. "Can you set up the table, please?"

Roxas opens his mouth, preparing a weak protest but his mom gives him a look and he backs down immediately, not even daring to sigh in defeat. Finding safety in the cutlery drawer, he grabs spoons without looking and sets them down on the table, followed by placemats that have cheerful cat faces stamped over them.

"How was school?"

"It was okay," Roxas says with a shrug, pulling out his chair as his mom passes him his bowl.

"Nothing interesting happen?" she asks, dipping her spoon into the stew. Roxas watches as various sized lumps are stirred around before replying.

"Well, Hayner is trying to organize a get together for Saturday."

"Hmm."

They are silent for a few minutes, the only sound coming from the spoons knocking against the bowls. The stew isn't as bad as Roxas suspected – in fact he actually finds himself enjoying it.

"I'm not sure you'll be able to go, Roxas," his mom says abruptly, placing her spoon on the table and looking up at him. She looks serious.

"Is something wrong?" Roxas asks, startled.

"You could say that," she says, frowning. "I had another phone call from your school today. A rather different phone call from yesterday's. I was hoping that you would say something but…"

"A… phone call?" Roxas repeats faintly, and he places his own spoon on the table and pushes his half empty bowl to the side. "I guess it wasn't about me receiving best attendance, then?"

"You're grounded, Roxas. For two weeks, unless I think you are behaving. I never thought I would have to do this. In fact, I never thought I would get a call from your school saying you skipped a day." She looks at him, shaking her head. "I'm disappointed in you."

"I'm sorry," he mumbles. "It wasn't planned or anything. I actually spent most of the day doing work in the library."

His mom sighs, standing and collecting both their bowls. "That isn't the point. Now… Go do your homework, and no laptop tonight, Roxas. Good night."

Roxas watches his mom's back as she disappears into the kitchen, feeling guilty and rather stupid. After a moment, he stands and hovers outside the kitchen door, debating whether to enter and apologize again, or just leave it until tomorrow. He hears the sound of running water and dishes being scraped and moved around.

"Night, mom," he mutters, frowning, and then slowly makes his way back to his room.

_Reviews are appreciated!_


End file.
